Brian's Duck with Sanguinello & Red Wine Sauce (Serves 4)
30ml olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tsp. dried sage or 1 tblsp chopped fresh sage
2 tblsps redcurrant or blackberry and apple jelly
1 tblsp soy sauce
125ml sanguinello or orange juice
125 ml red wine
black pepper, to taste
4 duck breasts
course sea salt
To serve: 1kg floury potatoes, such as King Edward, peeled and steamed
For the sauce: In a small pan heat the oil and sauté the onion and the garlic for 3 minutes or until soft but not brown. Add the remaining sauce ingredients and stir well. Reduce the heat and simmer for about 20 minutes or until slightly reduced. You can prepare the sauce whenever you like - just warm up when needed, strained or not, as you wish.
When ready to cook the duck, use a very sharp knife to lightly score the duck fat in two directions, making cuts about 0.5cm apart so that you have a diamond pattern on the skin. Rub sea salt well into the skin.
Heat a heavy-based frying pan over a medium high heat. Place the duck breast fat side down in the pan and immediately reduce the heat to cook the duck slowly. Grind black pepper over the flesh side and cook for 5-6 minutes depending on the size of the duck breasts. Turn and cook for a further 5-6 minutes.
Transfer the duck to a carving board and cover with foil. Leave to rest for 5-10 minutes (this is important!) Add the prepared potatoes to the duck fat and fry until hot and crispy. To serve the duck, slice each duck breast diagonally and fan out onto warmed serving plates. Spoon over the sauce and serve with the sautéed potatoes.
Recipe: Brian Bush